Toyota: Joint effort for sport package

Toyota had Subaru's help with its new car. Photo / Supplied

Toyota has released the first pictures of its GT 86 sports car, two years after the car codenamed FT-86 Concept appeared at the Tokyo motor show.

The wraps will officially come off the production GT 86 at this week's Tokyo show. It will go on sale in Europe around June. No word yet on its arrival in New Zealand.

The two-door four-seater has been developed side-by-side with Subaru, which will release its own rear-drive version called the BRZ. The cars will look different, but Toyota's designers have managed to stay mostly true to the FT-86 concept. The headlights and curvy bonnet are carried over almost intact, but the deep-set, slimline tail-lamps have made way for a more traditional set-up.

The joint development is mostly confined to the powertrain. Subaru supplied the 2-litre flat-four boxer engine but Toyota equipped it with its direct-injection system.

It features separate twin injectors for both direct and port injection, and a high 12.5:1 compression ratio. Toyota says it increases power and torque across a wide range of engine speeds without sacrificing fuel efficiency and environmental performance.

The engine has equal bore and stroke of 86.0mm and drives the rear wheels through either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission and a limited-slip differential.

The 2-litre delivers 147kW at 7000rpm and 205Nm at 6600rpm of torque. Toyota hasn't yet released any official performance figures, but analysts say the low 1180kg kerbweight should mean a zero to 100km/h time of just over six seconds. The powertrain and the driving position have been set as low and as far back as possible to achieve a 53:47 front-to-rear weight distribution.

The engine and the driver's hip point - the lowest of any current Toyota production model - together give the GT 86 an ultra-low+ centre of gravity, at just 475mm.

The GT 86 is 4240mm long, 1285mm high and 2570mm wide, dimensions which, Toyota says, make it the most compact four-seater sports car available today. In comparison, the two-seater Mazda MX-5 is 4020mm long, 1255mm high, and 1720mm wide. Its kerbweight is 1095kg.

Inside, the GT 86 gets an uncluttered and driver-focused design with the only switches on the centre console operating the climate control and media. Taking pride of place just ahead of the gearlever is the large start button.

The coupe runs MacPherson strut suspension up front and multi-link springs at the rear and is aimed at providing the kind of accessible driving thrills that made its namesake - the Corolla AE 86 - such a cult hero.

The AE 86 was also badged the GT. Its front-engine, rear-drive package, compact dimensions and light weight made it a popular sporty choice throughout its production life, from 1983 to 1987.

* The GT 86 is not the first sports car to feature a front-mounted, horizontally opposed engine and rear-wheel drive. That honour is held by Toyota's two-cylinder boxer-engined Sports 800, which the company began developing in 1962. Since then, Toyota has built in-line engines driving the rear wheels in sports cars like the 2000 GT from 1965, the Celica, Supra and MR2.